If you’ve been on our media training courses, you may have heard us say “just be yourself”.
Personality is a crucial ingredient in media interview success – we want to see and hear from people who sound human and warm.
And one spokesperson produced a masterclass on how to do this, delivering an interview that was authentic, inclusive and packed with personality.
Was this the best ever post-match interview?
It came from New Zealand star Ruby Tui as she faced the media after her country beat England to win the Rugby World Cup.
“How was it New Zealand? How was it?” The Black Ferns cult hero asked the crowd at the start of her interview.
“I’m just so proud to be a New Zealander right now. They said nobody cared about women’s rugby. Well, guess what? We out here. We’re going nowhere.
“Thank you for letting us be here, have our presence here.”
She added: “They said we couldn’t do it, kids. They said we wouldn’t. We did it. And honestly, it took all of us. Anybody out there defended an England maul before?
“It isn’t easy in the last minute, baby. But we all did it together. New Zealand did it together. And I’m so proud to be here right now.”
Tui then stole the mic and led the crowd on a rendition of the Maori folk song Tūtira Mai Ngā Iwi.
Ruby Tui is box office and Eden Park is loving it 🍿 pic.twitter.com/9xpSHOgblk
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) November 12, 2022
Here’s what Howard Bentham, one of the current working journalist tutors who deliver our media training thought of the attention-grabbing interview.
“One of the first things as media trainers we encourage athletes, players and coaches to do when giving interviews is to turn up and own it,” he said.
“Put your personality to the fore and share your love and passion for your sport with the audience who are watching and listening.
“Tell stories, engage your audience and don’t be boring.
“This was a masterclass from Ruby Tui who gave an interview that had everything - including a singalong with 40,000 fans in Eden Park.”
And he was not alone in praising the interview.
I can’t stop watching that Ruby Tui interview, it makes me so emotional. There are just so many kickass women dominating in sport right now and it fills my cup to know that my kids will never know a world in which women are told they can’t play.
— lavender baj (@lavosaurus) November 12, 2022
Give Ruby Tui a mic and you will get gold. That post match interview!!! I need to watch that on a loop cause the pride I felt from that was amazing! #NZLvENG | #RWC2021 | #LikeABlackFern
— Sam 🥃🦄 (@Sam_dmello) November 12, 2022
Completely heartbroken for England but Ruby Tui is an absolute rockstar - have you ever seen the crowd listen to a post match interview like this? The inspirational sports film that comes out of this win is going to be epic. https://t.co/OhFU8BNdUL
— Millie Ross (@millieross4) November 13, 2022
Once again @rubytui demonstrates her incredible passion for her sport and her country. Yet another amazing interview. https://t.co/Th4Mwa1GUg
— Miller Mathieson (@millermathieson) November 13, 2022
This is not the first time the rugby star has proved to be a brilliant media spokesperson.
Her world cup winning interview reminded me of one she gave during the Tokyo Olympics.
After securing a semi-final spot with a 36-0 victory over Russia she told the BBC: “They weren’t at the last Olympics, so this is huge for them. Massive congratulations to Russia.
“I don’t want to say the score made it look easy. It was not easy. Don’t be fooled. That was not an easy game, lots of running. My GPS blew up - that’s how hard it was.”
And she went on to praise the Great Britain team, saying: “I love the whole concept of GB and, like I said, huge congratulations to Great Britain and all the people of that place, because they fundraise, they worked hard, they campaigned.
“I think even a couple of us donated, and they ended up at the Olympics. So, huge, huge mahi ... big job, sorry, mahi means job."
When presenter Jill Douglas attempted to bring the interview to an end because of rain, Tui added: “What rain? Bring on the thunder.
“We're at the Olympics, just be happy. Let's compete safely and peacefully. Peace and love. Love you guys."
What an interview!
— Jo Currie (@JoCurrie) July 30, 2021
Love this from NZ 7s @rubytui 🏉
Beautifully done @JillADouglas pic.twitter.com/WpgR492Fe2
Post-match interviews can be a particularly tricky format.
Emotions are raw, the players are exhausted, and there is little time to prepare what you want to say. The goal often seems to be little more than avoiding saying something embarrassing.
And this safety-first approach can result in an anodyne back-and-forth, filled with platitudes and clichés.
But we are increasingly seeing athletes like Tui who are willing to let their personality come through in interviews.
And that’s the learning for other media spokespeople.
Personality
Let your personality come through.
You’re unlikely to get the opportunity to lead 40,000 people in song. But you can share personal stories, experiences and anecdotes that reveal a little of your character. As we say to the delegates on our media training courses, tell us about your frustrations, preferences and what keeps you up at night.
Personality and personal stories add credibility to proceedings. They also bring messages to life, help influence the direction of the conversation and enable spokespeople to connect with the audience.
They stimulate emotions in the audience and persuade them to give money, take action, support an idea or buy a product.
People are fascinated by stories about other people. And we relate to people who show human warmth and who we believe are being themselves.
Authenticity has become a bit of a buzzword. But when we talk about authentic media spokespeople, it is those who are prepared to be themselves in media interviews.
Passion
The other aspect spokespeople can learn from Tui is to show us they care.
Passion and enthusiasm in media interviews are infectious.
They make people sit up and take note. They can turn doubters into believers. They help build trust.
We highlighted another spokesperson who packed their interview with passion in another recent media training blog.
Jamie Oliver’s interview on the Today programme last month made you believe he cares about the cause he was discussing – a campaign urging the government to widen the eligibility threshold for free school meals.
You sensed he is passionate about health and education and is driven to do something to improve it.
And it shows you don’t have to win the World Cup for your country to let us know you are passionate.
Media First are media and communications training specialists with more than 35 years of experience. We have a team of trainers, each with decades of experience working as journalists, presenters, communications coaches and media trainers.
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